LIVERPOOL -- As Jürgen Klopp and his players took in the ovation from the Liverpool fans after the Premier League's final day last season, one man appeared more emotional than most.

But, on that balmy May afternoon, perhaps Alexander-Arnold could already sense it was the beginning of the end of his own Anfield story.

Now, with three months left on his contract and Real Madrid closing in on a deal to sign him on a free transfer at the end of the season, it now seems highly likely that, for the first time in his career, he will soon be playing his football away from Merseyside.



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A Liverpool source has told ESPN that no deal has yet been finalised, but a source from Spain added that discussions with the player's camp have continued since January and that there is a growing optimism from Madrid that an agreement is now close.

Still, that will do little to soften the blow as this painful and protracted saga looks to be nearing its end.

Even in today's ultra-commercialised landscape, football remains a game for the romantics; the notion of a player walking away from his boyhood club in search of adulation elsewhere will, for many, be a bitter pill to swallow.

In the coming days and weeks, there will no doubt be plenty of debate over who to blame and, for those seeking culpability, there are numerous targets at which to point the finger.

Liverpool will be rightly criticised for their handling of the situation, with Alexander-Arnold one of three key players -- alongside captain Virgil van Dijk and goal-scoring talisman Mohamed Salah -- whose contracts will expire in June.

But will Mo Salah, left, and captain Virgil van Dijk follow? Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Typically, the club would look to secure a player to a new contract when there are around two years left on their existing deal.

The scope for long-term planning was then further scuppered when Klopp announced in January 2024 that the season would be his final one at Anfield.

For incoming sporting director Richard Hughes, the priority was ensuring Klopp's successor had the credentials to excel on Merseyside and -- with Liverpool now 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table -- the hiring of Slot from Feyenoord Rotterdam appears to have been a masterstroke.

But the subsequent lack of headway made in negotiations with Liverpool's out-of-contract trio has left the club vulnerable to advances from elsewhere, with all three players having been free to speak to overseas clubs since Jan.

Right now, I am a Liverpool player, I love the club more than anything."

Rightly or wrongly, those words will be used as a weapon against him in the coming weeks as supporters try to wrestle with the idea that, somewhere along the way, his mindset has shifted.

Critics will also argue the defender could have been more transparent about his intentions to leave this summer.